A carburetor functions to vaporize a mixture of fuel and air needed for operation of an engine. The carburetor includes a main chamber having a fuel inlet nozzle and a throttle system. The fuel inlet nozzle connects the carburetor chamber with the fuel system. The fuel inlet nozzle is located upstream of the throttle system.
In operation, a pulsating vacuum is created within the carburetor chamber due to downstream engine piston strokes. The pulsating vacuum draws fuel droplets through the fuel inlet nozzle and into the carburetor main chamber. In the carburetor main chamber, the fuel droplets mix with air, atomizing into a vaporized flammable gas. The vaporized mixture then passes downstream past the throttle system to the combustion chambers of the engine cylinders.
The degree of fuel mixture within the carburetor combustion chamber has a direct effect upon engine performance. Improper fuel mixing can cause the fuel mixtures to be too lean or rich, resulting in poor engine performance. Improved atomization or vaporization of fuel entering the carburetor, results in more efficient engine operation.
Fuel atomization and vaporization within the carburetor also effects the quality of exhaust emissions. Due to increasing exhaust emission regulations and greater environmental awareness, it has become increasingly important to cut down on the amount of harmful pollutants released into the environment through engine exhaust systems. By increasing the amount of fuel atomization and vaporization within a carburetor, harmful pollutants, such as carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons which are released through the exhaust system into the environment are greatly reduced.
Exhaust emission standards have become increasingly stricter for general automobile, commercial, and industrial exhaust systems. Historically, improved fuel atomization for cleaner exhaust emissions for small engines was not a concern. More recently, present and future regulations are being proposed and enforced to extend exhaust emission standards to small engines, such as two cycle engines. Small engines are used in snowmobiles, motorcycles, mopeds, chain saws, line trimmers, lawn mowers and many other commonly used machines.
One such device is suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 5,043,105 to Drahos, a common invention to the inventor of the present invention, which suggests a fuel atomizing device for carburetors. The device includes applications for carburetors having a main discharge nozzle located within at least one venturi. The device includes a body which extends downward to slide over the main fuel discharge nozzle. Fuel enters the venturi at an angle through the fuel inlet nozzle which atomizes on the bottom of a disk-shaped member. The fuel vapor is then drawn through the venturi down to the throttle system.